A St. Louis scientist who was among a select group picked by the Obama administration to pursue a solution to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been removed from the group because of writings on his website, the U.S. Energy Department confirmed Wednesday.

Washington University physics professor Jonathan Katz was one of five top scientists chosen by the Department of Energy and attended meetings in Houston last week.

Though considered a leading scientist, Katz’s website postings often touch on social issues. Some of those writings have stirred anger in the past and include postings defending homophobia and questioning the value of racial diversity efforts.

Hattip to Instapundit. Part of my ongoing series on the follies of some Jesuits in this country. Marquette is a Jesuit run university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Notoriously, Marquette has employed as a Professor of Theology for decades Daniel C. Maguire. Maguire is an ex-priest. He has long been an ardent pro-abort. He has been an adviser of the pro-abort group Catholics For a Free Choice for decades. One of his recent books is Sacred Choices which is a look at the right to contraception and abortion in ten religions. In 2007 the USCCB publicly condemned as erroneous various aspects of the views propounded by Maguire and the statement can be read here.